White Feather, Red Paperback
by Bard-of-the-90's
Summary: Toby, now 20 years old, moves into his apartment. Just a little one-shot. Hints at TobyxJareth.


This is just a little bitty one-shot that popped into my brain. If I get enough requests, I might continue on with it, but for now, I'll just let it be as it is. Disclaimer: The Bard does not own any part of Labyrinth (except for a DVD copy and soundtrack), as it belongs to whoever wrote the novel it's based on, and after that, Jim Henson.

WHITE FEATHER, RED PAPERBACK

"Goodness, Toby! Come away from the window. I really don't understand why you do that." Sarah smiled and shrugged at her step-mother as a two-year-old Toby Williams sat at attention, seemingly not noticing his mother's words, enchanted by the barn owl taking flight into the scarlet evening sky.

~ (Time jump) ~

"Toby, get away from the window and help me, will you?" Twenty-year-old Toby Williams reluctantly drew his gaze from the curious white feather he found on the windowsill of his newly-leased apartment to his sister and the box she plunked down on the floor. "When you asked me to help you move, I didn't know you were planning on making me your slave." Sarah groaned as she flopped down on his navy blue sofa. Toby grinned.

"Getting old, are we, big sis?"

Sarah yanked him down next to her and ruffled his already tousled blonde hair.

"Old enough to complain about unpaid labour."

"Please excuse me, beautiful and youthful sister. I think there are only a few more boxes. Would the gorgeous young maiden honour a lowly knave such as myself in aid?"

"And here I thought I had majored in theatrical arts. Don't press your luck, bro."

~ (Time jump, again) ~

Toby rolled over, not wanting to get up, but wanting to get to work unpacking at the same time. After a small battle of priorities, he sat up and stretched his thin, tired body, relishing in the popcorn-like racket emitting from his spine. He didn't bother pulling his shirt back on after his nap, and scanned the box-filled room with weary hazel eyes. 'I guess two days is enough time to put it aside.'

Toby turned on the radio and pulled up the first of many boxes to sort through. Dishes. Newly-purchased porcelain and silverware as a gift from Mom, as well as plenty of paper plates from a wise Sarah. Toby smirked and dragged the box to the kitchenette.

~ (There's quite a few time jumps) ~

"Fashion/Turn to the left/Fashion/RIGHT!" Click. Toby turned off the radio. He liked whatever singer sang the strange song, but after the station played it four times, even the man's bass went from great to grating.

Toby sighed audibly. Eight hours since the first, he had only one last box to unpack. Judging by the ungodly weight of the thing, he assumed it contained his small personal library. Correct. He quite literally shoved it towards the bookshelf, effectively toppling the whole box over. After fretting on their condition, he found his books unharmed thanks to some magazines he could have sworn he had thrown away.

Leaving the magazines untouched, he carefully stowed his books into his bookcase. When the last one had been lovingly put away, Toby tossed the magazines into the box, intending to get rid of them later. Underneath the last one, he found a small red paperback. Labyrinth. Toby's eyes widened when he recognized it as the book that his dear sister treasured. He picked it up, and a small note came fluttering out.

"Find entertainment. Find answers. Whatever. Love, Sarah"

'I guess she's passing the torch?' Toby was so tickled by his sister's dramatics that he failed to notice the barn owl soaring triumphantly away.

~ (Yes, another one) ~

Seeing as Toby had read all of the books in his collection many times over and how the thought of even one new, if thin, paperback thrilled him, Toby immediately curled up his tired body into his recliner to begin his sister's prized novel.

'Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl, whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby.'

Toby's face screwed up in confusion. The words seemed…familiar…too familiar. He continued reading.

'…But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl….'

Those words… They made Toby uneasy. A thunderclap outside his window startled him. He hadn't even known a storm was on the way.

'"I wish the goblins would come and take you away. Right now."'

Toby jumped as another thunderclap pealed overhead. Over the next couple of hours, he furiously devoured the thin book in his hands. The babe…the babe… It seemed to him that he could relate more readily to the babe than the "poor girl" that was the protagonist. And surely the poetry the Goblin King spouted periodically didn't really fit the 80s pop tunes his brain kept filling in?

Toby really, truly meant to puzzle these things after closing the book. Instead he fell into an exhausted slumber.

~ (This time, it's a perspective jump) ~

'Hmm…Toby aged very well…' Jareth waved the window latch open and strode into the tiny apartment. He slowly circled the recliner like a curious shark circles an object it can't identify.

Toby furrowed his brow a bit and squirmed in his sleep. Jareth grinned in spite of himself. He looked the boy-turned-man over, taking in Toby's dark jeans, shirtless torso, and soft-looking blonde locks with his mismatched eyes. His fingers twitched when a soft contented sigh escaped Toby's mouth. 'All in good time,' he chided himself a moment more, then flew out the window in a flurry of glitter and white feathers.

~ (Back to Toby) ~

Toby awoke the next day covered in white fluff. Cursing, he shut the window, hoping whatever huge bird that had gotten in had managed to get back out. Turning back around, his eyes were immediately drawn to the scarlet paperback. His dreams the night before had been filled with stone chambers, mismatched eyes, strangely knobby little people, an Escher room…there was no denying it. Toby had some sort of connection to this strange story. But surely…no, it was ridiculous.

Toby opened the book, gazing at the pages for a long moment. 'I must be losing my mind.' But there was something. He tentatively looked around, as if he were afraid someone was watching him. He squeezed his eyes shut so hard it nearly hurt.

"I wish the goblins would come and take me away."

Toby cracked open one eye. Then the other. He was still in his apartment. He felt a blush come over his face, and at once felt absolutely silly. 'What did I think would happen? What was I expecting?!' He let his pained gaze drop back to the book. Maybe…

"…Right now?"

Then the ground dropped from under his feet, and Toby was pulled into darkness.

~ (Not even going to comment) ~

Toby awoke in the pit before the Goblin King's throne. He saw a flicker of surprise and…excitement?...on the King's face, which he quickly trapped behind a mask of indifference.

"You remind me of the babe." And with those six words, Toby came upon a startling realization.

"I am the babe. Or, at least, I was."

A feral grin took over Jareth's countenance. "It's about time, Toby Williams."

"What?"

"I knew you'd return to me eventually." Jareth rose form his throne and slowly approached Toby. "You would eventually be pulled back here. Sarah barely saved the day all those years ago, with moments to spare, so the bond was nearly complete."

"So you knew I would come back?"

"Trust me, Toby. I know a great many things."

Toby flushed and stood indignantly before the King. "Oh no, Goblin King. You don't frighten me."

Jareth was upon him before he could blink. He shoved Toby down and pinned him against the edge of the shallow pit. It was only after Jareth growled right into his ear that Toby noticed just how close their faces were. He flushed deeper. What was going on? Could Jareth be the source and cause of this feeling in his gut?

"If you do not fear me, then you didn't read that little book closely enough." Jareth leaned back with a smirk to survey the man beneath him. What he saw shocked and pleased him at the same time. Toby's face was a dark rosy shade of pink, and his mouth hung open a little. His hazel eyes were…quite dark at the moment, but not from fear, it seemed. Jareth chuckled darkly and snapped his fingers, vanishing and leaving Toby alone in the stone pit, stunned.


End file.
